Using ecological thresholds to evaluate the costs and benefits of set-asides in a biodiversity hotspot

TLDR

Ecological set‑asides can conserve biodiversity in modified landscapes, but financial constraints often limit landowner participation. The study assessed the ecological benefits and economic costs of paying landowners to set aside private land for restoration. Benefits were calculated from nearly 25,000 vertebrate captures in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and costs were estimated across multiple restoration scenarios and payment values. An annual investment equal to 6.5 % of Brazil’s agricultural subsidies can restore farmland species composition and ecological functions to protected‑area levels, making such efforts cost‑effective for biodiversity hotspots.

Abstract

Ecological set-asides are a promising strategy for conserving biodiversity in human-modified landscapes; however, landowner participation is often precluded by financial constraints. We assessed the ecological benefits and economic costs of paying landowners to set aside private land for restoration. Benefits were calculated from data on nearly 25,000 captures of Brazilian Atlantic Forest vertebrates, and economic costs were estimated for several restoration scenarios and values of payment for ecosystem services. We show that an annual investment equivalent to 6.5% of what Brazil spends on agricultural subsidies would revert species composition and ecological functions across farmlands to levels found inside protected areas, thereby benefiting local people. Hence, efforts to secure the future of this and other biodiversity hotspots may be cost-effective.